Editorial: RCMP stays, now time to talk

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Moncton city council Monday officially voted approval of keeping the Codiac Regional RCMP with Dieppe and Riverview as partners, and to accept the recommendations of an expert report hired to investigate the future of policing in Greater Moncton, including the essential one to invite the public to a high level meeting to discuss implementing recommendations to improve in key areas.

Full details are publicly available on Moncton’s website. Council, in a late February committee of the whole meeting, voted to approve the report and keep the Codiac RCMP, but this week the necessary regular open council vote made it official – a housekeeping move, but a necessary one that means the three civic governments are united again.

The pending public meeting on the report’s recommendations – and how to implement them – will include the commander of the Codiac RCMP, and the chairman of the Codiac Regional Policing Authority that oversees and liaises between the force and councils.

Concerns remain about how much input the communities have into RCMP governance, imposed budgets, the number of officers required and what priorities are needed most and how to best balance all aspects of policing. A thorough workload analysis is being prepared and will inform the discussions. Public anecdotes are common, but documented facts are more important and must be understood to succeed.

The history of regional and municipal policing dysfunctions that led to Codiac RCMP being formed is well documented. Turning back the clock is neither possible nor wise to attempt.